Women now account for 30% of sales for athletic apparel brand Under Armour, and women’s apparel is the fastest growing segment of their business. New marketing efforts reflect this shift, and are aimed directly at the female demographic — with social media as the primary tool for reaching out.

The new ad campaign begins a month before the brand’s new high-end collection – called StudioLux Noir – reaches stores, and is “the culmination of three years of development and research.” (Baltimore Sun) Andrienne Lofton Shaw, Under Armour’s senior director for women’s marketing, says “We’ve taken to time to really listen to what she has to say about what she wants to see in her workout gear.”

Hoping for a high level of feedback, Under Armour is engaging heavily with the @UAWomen Twitter account, as well as #IWill and #WhatsBeautiful. @UAWomen has over 17,500 followers, and uses the account to engage followers (“What race(s) are you gearing up for this fall?”), run contests, promote online sales, offer inspiring quotes, and link to more branded content:

The Under Armour Women’s Facebook page has over 300,000 followers and engages fans regularly with posts similar to those on the Twitter account. A recent inspirational poster featuring Lindsey Vonn received nearly 3,000 likes in less than one week.

The brand is promoting its second “What’s Beautiful” contest; back in July it awarded four women with year-long sponsorship deals. This time, women can enter by using the website or mobile app; both allow them to set goals and share their progress. The ten most inspiring women (to be chosen by Under Armour, near the end of November) will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to work with top trainers, coaches and nutritionists in early 2013. In the meantime, Under Armour will be giving out “Swag Bags” to entrants who “are seriously bringing it” along the way.

The campaign will also include more traditional commercial spots on E!, VH1 and Nickelodeon.

Do you think Under Armour made the right decision by focusing their new campaign largely on social media? Is it the most effective way to reach their target female demographic and influence purchasing?

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Marissa McNaughton

Marissa was tricked into working for Modern Media by a Facebook message promising her an iPad. She facilitates all things community for Modern Media and is an editor for The Realtime Report.

When not at work, Marissa can be found surfing, outdoors, or teaching yoga throughout the East End. Previously, she worked in event planning and philanthropy for The Nature Conservancy, and as General Manager of the Hamptons Shakespeare Festival, a grassroots non-profit theater in Montauk.

Marissa grew up on Long Island and now lives in Montauk, NY. She graduated with a BA in English & History from Yale University.